One of the most important things about TIG welding (I think I say that a lot - there must be a lot of important things!) is keeping things steady.  I've shot a video on keeping the filler steady so it doesn't get bumped into the tungsten and mess everything up, and now here's a video on using your hand as a sort of tripod to control your torch. I've used the writing analogy before, but here's another one: think about shooting a rifle.  You don't get a steady shot by holding the gun with both hands on the stock - the muzzle would be waving around and there would be almost no way to prevent some movement.  The best way to steady a rifle is to have some kind of support as close to the end of the muzzle as possible while still being able to fine tune your aim.  Think of a welding torch in the same way - support the torch as close to the cup as possible without burning yourself.  Of course, there will be compromises like visibility and pain.  But to produce a good weld,...

This is a short little video on keeping things steady when you're tig welding... specifically the filler rod.  A new rod is 3' long and quite floppy when you're holding it at one end, so I thought this little tip may help at least someone keep that filler rod steady....

Part 1: Introduction The idea to shoot some informative welding videos has been brewing for a long time, and when Pikesan asked if I'd be interested in doing something with MyRideisMe.com, that was the final straw!  Although it's taken almost a pair of years to finally have something to show, I think you'll enjoy and hopefully benefit from the series. After I started the Welder Series parts assembly videos on YouTube, people began emailing to ask why I weld the way I do, and to please offer some tips.  I was flattered that people were even watching the videos, let alone asking me for welding tips!  From the beginning, they were never intended to be welding tutorials - I was just putting parts together! Basically, in these videos, I'll be bringing you into the Welder Series shop and blabbing away about welding.  The videos  will be loosely broken down into categories based on whatever aspect of welding I feel like talking about at the time.  I might even slip in some general shop tips once in a while... What I won't do is tell you what type of gas...

Fabrication, Welding and how-to's for your home built hot rod from WelderSeries.com Dear Welder Series... I have a 1956 Chev truck and want to put a 4 link in the back .was thinking of a triangulated one. would that work? the frame is 34 inches wide.or should i use a parallel 4 bar and a panhard bar and which kit # do you recommend ? thank you Dave Dave, this is a good question... There are several considerations when choosing a rear suspension system. An important one is frame width. A typical triangulated rear 4-link has the upper bars mounting off of the frame boxing plates and angling back to each side of the differential housing. The narrower the frame, the less triangulation is possible unless the upper bars get shorter. Shorter upper bars cause greater pinion angle change. The upper bars could be angled from wide apart on the axle tubes to close together off of a crossmember to get more triangulation. A parallel 4-link and Panhard bar is not as sensitive to frame width. The bars should be mounted as wide apart as practical to stabilize the...

Here at Welder Series, we get emails. We reply to emails. All of them. Even those nice people who want to see me more satisfied. (What's a "male product", anyways? Am I a product of my own imagination?) Anyways, I thought some of these tech type emails would be beneficial to more of you than solely the person who penned keyed the question. Onward. Dear Welder Series... "Hi there, I recently purchased one of your triangulated 4-link from Horton's (www.horton.on.ca). I am currently building a 28 Model A Tudor and I am building my own frame. I'm about ready to start fabricating the rear section of the frame and I was wondering if you can give any tips on how to rig up the rear suspension/frame so I can get the car as close to the ground as possible without loosing to much headroom since the car is going to be chopped. I will be running 32" tall rear tires and I would like the frame to be about 5 inches off the ground (at the floor before the rear Z). Also, I will be channeling the body. Thanks...

Simple product is Canadian made How often are simple projects truly simple? Almost never is the correct answer but I have discovered a great product that is just that. After a very eventful outdoor show season. My first item was to get back in the shop and work. My wife and I put over 75,000 kms on our diesel truck heading from show to show this year and it’s time to get my hands back on some tin. So there I was, thinking about my next project. To keep it moving forward, I’d need to put a frame under the thing. Then it dawned on me, how cool it would be to try to keep this build Canadian. It will likely be next to impossible to keep it ALL Canadian but you have to start somewhere. If you went to SEMA this year, you very likely would have stopped by the Speed Tech Performance booth. Not only are they Canadian but they’re from right here in BC! (Maple Ridge to be exact.) They make really nice 1st and 2nd gen Camaro subframes and other cool suspension stuff. Off to...